Robbie Keane's incredible WAG Claudine

“They all have their ideas, different ideas, and whether I agree with them it doesn’t matter.

“I’m not a left-winger, as we’ve established from 20 years of playing football, but tactically he was probably one of the best I’ve worked with – he knows the game inside out.

“But he tried to turn me into something I’m not, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster as someone used to scoring goals.

“When I did play up front I scored goals.

“I mean I am clearly not a left winger, and that is obviously clear for everyone to see”

Robbie Keane on his Liverpool spell

“Of course I respect every manager I’ve worked with,” he said.

“They all have their ideas, different ideas, and whether I agree with them it doesn’t matter.

“I’m not a left-winger, as we’ve established from 20 years of playing football, but tactically he was probably one of the best I’ve worked with – he knows the game inside out.

“But he tried to turn me into something I’m not, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster as someone used to scoring goals.

“When I did play up front I scored goals."

GETTY

Robbie Keane and Rafa Benitez during their time together at Liverpool

“But my problem was that when I did play, I wasn’t going to play the next day, which, for a striker, is very difficult.”

The former Irish captain only spent six months at the club and highlighted the need for first team football for his decision to return to Tottenham when it became obvious his manager did not trust him to start games.

“Strikers rely on confidence, and as soon as you get those goals, you know there’s more to come,“ Keane added.

“So that kills you a little bit, and that was the hardest bit to take.

“For me, and I’ll mention it briefly, I’m not waking up on a Saturday morning to sit on the bench and pick up my wages. I love football.”

Keane scored seven goals in 28 games for Liverpool, before moving back to Tottenham just six months after arriving on Merseyside.